Clocking Out Early: How One Sysadmin Gave a Bad Boss a Taste of Petty Revenge
Is there anything more satisfying than serving up a perfectly chilled dish of petty revenge? For one sysadmin, the answer lay in a few lines of code and a well-timed Friday afternoon exodus. When an overbearing boss decided to take out his frustrations on an innocent production crew, our hero decided it was time to even the score—using the most powerful weapon in his arsenal: the office clocks.
Let’s be honest: we’ve all fantasized about pranking a difficult boss. But few of us have the technical chops (or the nerve) to pull off a prank that’s as subtle as it is delicious. This is the story of how a sysadmin made an entire team’s weekend start a little earlier—all while leaving their boss bewildered and alone at his desk.
The Clock Strikes… Petty
The original tale, shared by u/da4 on Reddit’s beloved r/PettyRevenge, reads like every underappreciated office worker’s dream. Picture it: it’s springtime, the end of the week, and the only thing standing between your team and a glorious Friday evening is a manager who’s having a meltdown over an issue nobody on your team caused. Instead of addressing the real problem, he vents his frustration by yelling at the entire group.
Enter our sysadmin protagonist. Instead of stooping to confrontation or passive-aggressive emails, they wield their admin powers for good (or at least, for a little well-earned chaos). With a simple remote script, they nudge the clocks on every team member’s workstation a few seconds at a time—just enough so that, come Friday afternoon, the computers all read “5:00 PM” a full 45 minutes early.
Cue the stampede. The team, trusting their Macs, packs up and heads out, one member even commenting on how unusually bright it is for quitting time. Meanwhile, the boss emerges from his cube, groundhog-like, only to find the entire department has vanished. The only thing missing? A tumbleweed rolling past his desk.
Why This Petty Revenge Is So Satisfying
What makes this story so delicious isn’t just the cleverness of the prank—it’s the poetic justice. The boss’s tantrum was totally undeserved, so the sysadmin’s response didn’t just even the score; it did so in a way that was harmless, funny, and downright elegant.
Let’s break down why this clock-based caper hits all the right notes:
1. It’s Subtle.
No alarms, no water-cooler sabotage, no missing staplers. Just a tweak to a system everyone trusts implicitly: the office clock. The best pranks are the ones that fly under the radar until the punchline lands.
2. It’s Harmless.
No files were lost. No productivity was harmed (let’s be real—nobody’s giving their all after a verbal beatdown on a Friday afternoon). It’s the workplace equivalent of letting someone cut in line at the DMV… and then realizing they’re actually further from the front.
3. It’s a Team Win.
Instead of targeting the boss directly, the sysadmin rewards the whole team with an early start to their weekend. In the face of unwarranted rage, sometimes the best way to fight back is with a little collective joy.
The Secret Sauce: Techie Know-How
Only in the world of IT can you pull off such a seamless prank. Most of us are at the mercy of whatever time our computer says it is—but sysadmins? They’re the wizards behind the curtain. This story is a reminder of the invisible power that IT folks wield, and why it’s always wise to treat them (and everyone else) with respect.
As for consequences? Well, our hero did confess to the deed on their last day at the company—a mic-drop moment that almost demands a slow clap.
Takeaways for the Rest of Us
What can we learn from this masterstroke of digital mischief? First, that pettiness—when done right—can be deliciously satisfying. Second, that sometimes the best form of justice is the one that leaves everyone (except the jerk) smiling. And third: always double-check your clocks on a Friday afternoon.
So, the next time you’re suffering under the tyranny of an unfair boss, remember: you may not be able to hack the office time system, but you can always find small, clever ways to reclaim a bit of joy. And if you’re a manager? Maybe think twice before you let your frustrations out on the team—especially if there’s a sysadmin in the house.
What’s your favorite tale of workplace revenge, petty or otherwise? Share your stories in the comments below! And don’t forget to treat your IT folks to some donuts… just in case.
Original Reddit Post: Yell at my people, watch me dismiss them early